Printing conductive traces

Abstract

In an example implementation, a conductive trace printing system includes a conductive trace application station to apply a conductive trace onto a media substrate. The printing system also includes a conductive trace enhancement station to expose the conductive trace to an electroless metal plating solution to generate an enhanced conductive trace.

What is claimed is: 
     
         1 . A conductive trace printing system comprising:
 a conductive trace application station to apply a conductive trace onto a media substrate; and,   a conductive trace enhancement station to expose the conductive trace to an electroless metal plating solution to generate an enhanced conductive trace.   
     
     
         2 . A printing system as in  claim 1 , wherein the conductive trace application station comprises a liquid electro-photographic device to develop the conductive trace onto a charged roller, transfer the conductive trace to a transfer roller, and transfer the conductive trace from the transfer roller to the media substrate. 
     
     
         3 . A printing system as in  claim 1 , wherein the conductive trace application station comprises a fluid jetting device to jet a conductive trace solution onto a transfer roller to be transferred to the media substrate. 
     
     
         4 . A printing system as in  claim 1 , wherein the conductive trace enhancement station comprises a solution applicator selected from the group consisting of a sponge applicator, a liquid bath applicator, and a roll-to-roll applicator. 
     
     
         5 . A printing system as in  claim 1 , further comprising an overprint layer station to apply a protective overprint layer over the enhanced conductive trace. 
     
     
         6 . A printing system as in  claim 5 , wherein the overprint layer station comprises a coating device selected from the group consisting of a flexography coating device, a gravure coating device, a reverse-roll coating device, a knife-over-roll coating device, a Meyer rod coating device, a slot die coating device, an immersion coating device, a curtain coating device, and an air-knife coating device. 
     
     
         7 . A printing system as in  claim 1 , wherein:
 the conductive trace comprises a metal having a first nobility; and,   the metal plating solution comprises a metal having a second nobility, wherein the second nobility is greater than the first nobility.   
     
     
         8 . A non-transitory machine-readable storage medium storing instructions that when executed by a processor of a conductive trace printing system cause the system to:
 apply a conductive trace to a media substrate; and,   expose the conductive trace to an electroless metal plating solution to enhance the conductive trace.   
     
     
         9 . A medium as in  claim 8 , wherein applying a conductive trace to a media substrate comprises:
 applying an insulating layer onto the media substrate before applying the conductive trace; and,   applying the conductive trace on the insulating layer.   
     
     
         10 . A medium as in  claim 8 , wherein applying a conductive trace to a media substrate comprises printing the conductive trace in a printing process selected from the group consisting of a liquid electro-photographic printing process and an inkjet printing process. 
     
     
         11 . A medium as in  claim 8 , wherein exposing the conductive trace to an electroless metal plating solution comprises exposing the conductive trace to a solution of copper sulfate (CuSO4), a reducing agent, and sodium hydroxide (NaOH). 
     
     
         12 . A medium as in  claim 8 , wherein exposing the conductive trace to an electroless metal plating solution comprises exposing the conductive trace through a solution applicator selected from the group consisting of a sponge applicator, a bath applicator, and a roll-to-roll applicator. 
     
     
         13 . A medium as in  claim 8 , the instructions further causing the system to apply a protective overprint layer over the enhanced conductive trace. 
     
     
         14 . A conductive trace printing system comprising:
 a printing device to print a preliminary conductive trace onto a media substrate;   a solution applicator to expose the preliminary conductive trace to an electroless metal plating solution to generate an enhanced conductive trace;   a memory device comprising print instructions and print data; and,   a processor programmed to execute the print instructions to control the printing device to print the preliminary conductive trace in a pattern according to information in the print data.   
     
     
         15 . A printing system as in  claim 14 , wherein the pattern of the preliminary conductive trace comprises an RFID tag.